Once upon a time, if you wanted to know thyself (Plato) or solve relationship problems, you would lie on a couch and say whatever came to mind while a therapist (Freudian) would sit in a chair and listen for themes, write them down and make comments back to you. If you tried to explain yourself, the therapist would point out that you were defensive and could even tell you which defense mechanism you were using, such as denial.

We progressed from the couch to the chair in the therapy room. We’ve learned more clinical techniques to help clients Know Thyself and solve problems. We encourage clients to journal, set goals and talk out their issues with a therapist. The therapist still takes notes and reflects back to the client the themes of the conversation.

Would you like to know about a technique that puts you in the therapist’s chair, both listening to yourself and writing down what comes to mind, learning reflective skills? It’s called Therapeutic Writing practice. This is not new and you don’t have to do it alone.

What is new is that you’re in control of what you write about, how you write, how much you write and how much, if any, you share with anyone. You can choose a new topic for each writing session. You don’t have to know grammar, spelling or typing. Pen, pencil, paper and your mind are the ingredients to turning out…well, you don’t know what. It’s the same recipe every day, but you’ll get a different product each time. One day you may get an insight about your illness, or grieving or suddenly become awe struck with the beauty in your life.

Why don’t you give it a try? Know Thyself a little more each day. Who else but you knows what’s important to you?

If you can’t think of where to start, I’ve compiled a list of topics, below. Read over them and pick one that inspires you to write a paragraph (or more). No time limit. Five minutes is fine if you’re writing from your heart.

You can always contact me to work with you on a topic or to share your insights.

Topics

• Body Changes: Write about how you’re feeling about your body as it changes with age or illness.
• Life Transitions: Write about a time your life changed (someone died, divorced, moved, left, etc.).
• Saving Grace: Write about a time someone saved you from something (accident, wrong path, etc.).
• For More Topics: Click here.